Now We Run

Tyrin woke up with a start. He could feel his body moving, but he had no idea where he was. Above him, the starry sky stretched out in an unfamiliar pattern, so different from the constellations of his home planet. As his mind fully awakened, he began connecting the dots until he understood his situation. His arm was touching something warm and shapeless.

— Gertrudes? — His voice came out hoarse.

— I'm here, kid. How do you feel? Try not to move too much. CaoCao, slow down.

— I'm cold... What happened?

— Well, you're naked, so that makes sense — Gertrudes replied dryly.

Only then did Tyrin look down at himself and realize that he was, indeed, completely unclothed.

— Holy shit! What the hell is going on? Where are we going? And where is everyone?

— Here, take this cloth and cover yourself. And before you ask, we're escaping. We need to get off this planet as soon as possible. Now, tell me—when the hell were you going to mention that you have an Iluthar as a companion? And how did you even get one?

Tyrin blinked, confused. The flood of questions and the obvious irritation in Gertrudes' voice only made him more disoriented.

— I just found out today... — he muttered. — It probably hatched and was transferred to planet Gaia. Otherwise, how else could I have called it through the amulet?

Gertrudes huffed in frustration.

— Damn it, Tyrin, how many more surprises are you going to throw at me? First, you figure out how to beat that hellish simulation. Then, you find an epic weapon—possibly the most powerful one I've ever seen. And now, an extinct pet? None of this makes sense! I bet the director already knows about your dragon. We need to get back to Vanaheim as soon as possible.

— And where are we now? — Tyrin asked, pulling the cloth tighter around himself.

— If my calculations are correct, we're near Orion's ship. Now, could you ask your pet to return to the amulet?

— Karma is here?

Before Gertrudes could respond, a small dragon swooped down from the dark sky. With impressive precision, it landed on Tyrin's chest, staring at him with glowing golden eyes before it started licking his face like an overexcited puppy.

— Karma, wait! Stop, please! Gertrudes, help! — Tyrin tried to push the dragon away, laughing, but without much success.

Gertrudes crossed her arms, amused by the scene.

— Well, looks like he sees you as a mother… or father, I don't know. Brings back good memories, doesn't it, CaoCao?

A low growl and a pat on the massive Oragontango sealed the comment. On one side, Tyrin wrestled with a hyperactive mini dragon; on the other, Gertrudes, riding her imposing Oragontango, watched the horizon with a serious expression. The chase lasted another twenty minutes before they finally reached Orion's personal ship.

Tyrin only managed to convince Karma to return to the amulet under one condition: that he would be released as soon as possible. With that settled, they could finally discuss the gravity of the situation.

— Do you think they would try to steal Karma from me? — Tyrin asked, still uneasy.

— Think? No. I'm sure of it — Gertrudes answered without hesitation. — Unlike you, I know those bastards. Magreb is one of the most selfish, greedy, and treacherous civilizations I've ever seen. Hell, they destroyed an entire solar system because they believed in an expansionist Jihad! My people stopped them from committing atrocities against weaker civilizations... So believe me when I say that, right this moment, Shiva is probably already telling Kael about you. And they're certainly plotting a way to steal Karma and your dagger.

Tyrin felt a knot in his stomach.

— I... I didn't know what to do. We were going to die.

Gertrudes sighed, her expression softening slightly.

— I know. And I'm grateful for what you did.. I agree—we'd probably be dead by now if not for you. But there's no point dwelling on what could have been. Right now, we have bigger problems to deal with… and honestly, I'd rather not face them.

It was late at night when the relentless pounding yanked Orion out of his sleep.

— I'm coming, damn it! Stop banging on the fucking door, or I swear I'll kill— — He stopped mid-sentence as he opened the door and came face to face with Gertrudes. — Gertrudes? What the hell are you doing here at this hour? Finally decided to…

She turned as red as a tomato and cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

— I brought Tyrin. I need to borrow one of your emergency ships. We have to leave now.

Orion raised an eyebrow.

— Gertrudes, as much as I like you, I can't just hand out my emergency ships. They're called that for a reason. What the hell is going on that you need to leave so suddenly? We just got here.

Gertrudes took a deep breath before answering, her tone serious and formal.

— Orion, I'm not speaking as Gertrudes, your guest. I'm speaking as the ambassador of the planet Scar. I need to leave this planet immediately. This is an official request. I promise my father will reward you with the highest honor and any amount you ask. But we must go. Our lives are at risk.

Orion stood there for a moment, blinking, still groggy from sleep. His brain struggled to process everything. In the end, he decided to accept.

Orion knew the Scar family well. He knew they always paid their debts—even if, in the end, it meant he'd have to deal with some influential visitor from another family complaining about whatever mess Gertrudes or that kid wrapped in a cloth had caused. Either way, Orion always had an ace up his sleeve: convenient ignorance. If necessary, he'd simply claim he didn't know anything.

— Let me grab the keys. I'll take you to the ship, but keep in mind—it only has one jump. Choose your destination wisely. And, Gertrudes, you owe me a fully equipped reentry ship.

She thought about arguing but knew what she was doing was insane. And when something has no price, the most expensive option becomes the only one. She was asking for help, so she had to accept the consequences.

— No problem. But we need supplies and a safe passage to the jump point.

Orion laughed, shaking his head.

— Now you're pushing it. But since you agreed to the deal, I'll make things easier and help with that too.

Gertrudes gritted her teeth, holding back the urge to curse Orion out. She knew she was in a delicate position—and worse, he knew it too.

— Alright, I'm ready. Follow me, — he said, spinning the key between his fingers.

They made their way through a few corridors that Tyrin already recognized until they reached the emergency ship bay. Three vessels stood there, ready for urgent evacuations.

— Well, I guess this is where I say goodbye. Just one thing, Gertrudes—don't forget about my new ship. And if your father wants to send reinforcements, they'd be more than welcome… as long as he keeps it quiet. Do they still have that fusion weapon?

— Don't worry, Orion. I'll personally make sure a ship is sent your way. You have my word. But we have to go now. See you soon.

Gertrudes and Tyrin boarded the ship, quickly activating the systems to detach from the main vessel. As Orion watched them depart, an incoming call flashed on his communicator. He already had a good idea what this was about.

— Well, I guess I'm about to find out what mess you two got into… — he muttered, answering the call. — Orion here, go ahead.

On the other end, Sibério, his intelligence specialist, spoke in a muffled voice. In the background, a sharper voice demanded to be put on.

— Sibério, let Kael talk… — Orion sighed, already anticipating the explosion.

— ORION, YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHERE DID YOU HIDE THE KID?! — Kael roared.

Orion smirked, crossing his arms as he watched the emergency ship vanish into the horizon.

— Oh, you mean Tyrin? Well, he's heading home. I'd love to say goodbye for you, but look at that… he's already taking off! Hahahaha!

— ORION, YOU BASTARD! DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE?! — Kael growled, his voice boiling with fury.

— Oh, relax. Gertrudes promised to send me a new ship. I'll split the loot from this one when the new one arrives. So how about we let this go and focus on our mission?

— FUCKING HELL, ORION! YOU DON'T GET IT! FUCK THE SHIP! FUCK AN ENTIRE BATTALION! THE KID HAS A BABY ILUTHAR! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? AN ILUTHAR! THAT SHOULDN'T EVEN BE POSSIBLE!

Orion fell silent.

His smile vanished.

His eyes widened, pupils dilating, and his mouth went dry in an instant. He wasn't stupid. He knew exactly what an Iluthar was. And he knew the kind of chaos this would unleash.

Without another word, he cut the transmission and immediately tried to contact the emergency ship. No response.

— Fuck me… — he muttered, watching the vessel disappear into the exosphere.

He'd been tricked.

And now, it was too late to fix it.

Inside the ship, Tyrin watched Gertrudes as she stubbornly ignored Orion's repeated attempts to call them. His expression was uneasy.

— Are you sure we should be ignoring Orion?

Gertrudes sighed, still focused on the ship's controls.

— He's probably figured it out by now. And do you have any idea how hard it is for me to use my name to get something? My father is at least going to force me into military service for ten years just to pay off the ship we promised Orion. I even thought my beauty might help me negotiate, but that bastard went straight for the jugular.

Tyrin exhaled, taking in her words.

— Okay... But now, who can we even trust?

Gertrudes shot him a serious look.

— In this universe, there are only two people who can help you: the Director and Charon. We need to get back to Vanaheim and speak with them. If we can prove you're worthy, they'll protect you.

— The Director is that powerful?

— Just as powerful as my father. But unlike him, she has the Emperor's protection. And no one's going to risk messing with her.

Gertrudes punched a few commands into the control panel.

— We're almost at the designated location. I'm activating the jump—get ready.

Tyrin felt his body tense as the emergency ship's engines thrummed, building up energy for the jump. A brilliant flash consumed the small vessel as it propelled forward into the vastness of space.

From inside one of the main quarters aboard Orion's ship, a grotesque woman watched the emergency ship's jump with a twisted smile. Her gaze was cold. Predatory.

Beside her, a table.

And on that table—

A putrid, severed head lay like a macabre trophy.

Its deformed features and the remnants of what was once golden hair made it unmistakable.

If Tyrin were here, he would have recognized it in an instant.

It was Solaria's head.

The woman cracked her fingers, amused, and tilted her head slightly.

— What an interesting boy, don't you think, my dear?

Then, she let out a maniacal laugh.